Thomas Richardson Colledge : born 1797, died 1879

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Thomas Richardson
Golledge;^^^^

Born 1797J
Died 1879.

Digitized by the Internet Archive
in 2016

https://archive.org/details/b22480596

THOMAS RICHARDSON COLLEDGE.

Before I go hence, and be no more seen or able to
answer any questions, I think I had better jot down
for my Colledge nephews and nieces what 1 know of my
father and his family. He believed they originally came
from Northumberland, but he was born the 11th June,
1797, at Kilsby, in Northamptonshire, in what was
called “The old Manor House,” said once to have
harboured Charles 11. for a night during his wanderings
and adventure in the oak tree. 1 have never been there,
but have been told in the Kilsby and Barby Churchyards
are many tombstones to the Colledge ancestors, and a
memorial to one Jeffery Colledge, born 1676, died 1743.
The old Manor House, said to have had 300 acres of
land attached to it, became mortgaged in my grand-
father’s time, and, though my father sent several
thousands to clear it, it was wrongfully left away from
him, and about 16 years ago denuded of its lands, was
sold for a very small sum. My grandfather, Thomas
Colledge, married a Miss Richardson, and my father
was given his father’s Christian and mother’s surname.
At seven he began to show his bent, and doctored all
the sick cats and dogs he could get hold of, and a human
where he could find a confiding one. Later on, when
he had to go to school he didn’t approve of the arrange-
ment, so mounted on his pony, and with his father
riding on one side, and uncle on the other, was thus
conducted to Rugby.

The Colledges seem to have been good riders, and
had some valuable horses, for my father spoke of riding
a thorough bred mare from Kilsby to London. From
Rugby my father passed to the Leicester Infirmary,
from whence, with high testimonials, he went to London
ini 81 7 to study under Sir Astley Cooper, whose favourite
pupil he became, and it was on Sir Astley’s advice that
he accepted the appointment of the H.E.l.C. to be
Civil Surgeon in Macao, offered him by his old friend
Sir George Best Robinson, Bart. My father was 20
years in China, said to be about the most popular man
with all classes out there. Not finding his Civil
Surgeon’s duties sufficient to occupy him, he started,
with the help of friends, an Ophthalmic Hospital for the
Chinese. So interesting and skilful were his opera-
tions there that he seems to have drawn of a morning
admiring spectators among the Company’s writers
who went to see “Old Tom Colledge,’’ as they called
him, at his work, and letters were written that are now
to be found in London and China among the records of
that time. His one Assistant was a half-Chinese, half-
Portuguese named Afun, a Roman Catholic, and the
best man, my father used to say, he ever knew. So
particular, at this time, was my father to keep his
delicacy of touch for his operations that he wouldn’t
even sharpen a pencil.

He was also founder of the Medical Mission in
China, and was President of the Society for 40 years.
His influence with the Chinese was so great that when
Lord Napier of Merchistoun, who had been sent out as
Governor, was taken on board a boat to try and secure
him in his illness some quiet, my father was able to get

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the Chinese, who were surrounding the boat, beating
their tom-toms furiously, to quietly disperse, and poor
Lord Napier died soon afterwards in his arms. In
memory of his services. Lady Napier sent my father a
very pretty writing set composed of Scotch pebbles,
mounted in fine gold, which is still in the family. In
March 1833, my father married Caroline Mathilda
Shillaber, whose brother was the first American Consul
in Java, and whose ancestors, Puritans, had gone to
America in the reign of James 1 1. on account of religious
persecutions. About twelve years ago a very interesting
book was published in America by Catherine Hillard,
after her mother’s death, called “ Letters from my
Mother’s Journal.” These letters were written by my
mother’s old school-fellow, then Harriett Low, and at
whose Uncle and Aunt’s house in Macao, my father
met my mother. In her letters constant mention was
made of my parents, and of the picture the Board of
Directors desired Chinnery, a well-known artist in China
and India, to paint of my father and for which they gave
him £500. The picture remained for many years with
one of the Directors, a Mr. Millett, who directed at
his death it should be sent to the Colledge family, and in
1875 it came down to Cheltenham, just in time on my
return from India to prevent it going to the Leicester
Infirmary, my father saying, ‘‘Oh, if you would like it
you can have it.”

When my father left Macao, an eye-witness (one of
those seeing him off) told me every European was on
board ship to wish him ‘‘ bon voyage,” and the sands and
rocks around crowded with Chinese. Arrived in Eng-
land 1838 he found ‘‘ The Lancet” writing him up. His

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friends urged him to set up as an oculist in London,
the influential ones saying “ We can ensure you a first-
rate practice as there is no one at the present moment
who can touch you.” However, my father wouldn’t, ns
he said he didn’t like town, it depressed him. He went
down to Edinburgh, took his M.D. at King’s College,
Aberdeen, 1838, became F.R.C.P. Edinburgh, 1840, and
was made Fellow of The Royal Society, Edin. 1844.

He wished to set up in practice in Edinburgh, but the
doctors there, as he was not a Scotchman, hoped he
would not so he came south and found himself
in Cheltenham in the days of the old four-in-hand mail
coaches. Fancying the place he bought a house just
built, and two of his old China friends set him up
with a carriage and pair of thorough-breds. As a
girl I can remember my father, a very busy man,
constantly called ineonsultation, and sent for to various
parts of England. Every Director and friend who had
been with him in China came at least once to visit him
in his provincial home, and several took houses and
came to live and die near their beloved doctor. My
mother said she never once knew of his giving a wrong
diagnosis. Twice he differed in opinion over two patients
he had sent to Critchett, and both times the famous
oculist wrote afterwards to say my father had been
right. Meeting Dr., after Sir Richard Quain, as a
married woman he said to me ‘‘ What does your father
do living in Cheltenham ? He is one of us and ought
never to have been there !” And my brother meeting
Sir Henry Thompson at dinnerone night, and sitting next
him, the famous surgeon, said : ” There is no doctor out
of London that has the reputation of Colledge, of

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Cheltenham.” We always regretted his choice of going
into the provinces, where few realised the talent of the
man living among them. A born doctor, and with such
skill and so re-assuring a manner, we felt he ought to
have gained considerable eminence, and not have hidden
his light under a bushel. With his modesty though he
didn’t seem to view things in the same way, and during
his last illness said, ‘‘ The one good work of my life has
been founding the Medical Mission in China,” yet he
had freely bestowed his skill on others and constantly
helped them pecuniarily. He died at his house in
Cheltenham 1879 at the age of 82.

My father had eight children, six sons and two
daughters. His eldest son, George Welstead, passed
into Haileybury at the earliest age allowed, and on
leaving stood first of his term in Persian. Proceeding
to Calcutta he secured his first admission into the
Indian Civil Service in three months, and gained the
gold medal for proficiency in Oriental languages. He
was through the Mutiny, and spent ten years in India.
He died October 1863 at the age of 30, Magistrate and
Collector of Boolundshuhur, N.W.P. He married
Katherine, eldest daughter of William Dent, of Bickley
Park, one of the Directors of the Old East India Com-
pany, and left four sons and a daughter. My father’s
next three sons died in infancy in Macao. His fifth
' son, John, was in the 20th Hussars, and afterwards
joined the Bengal Staff Corps, and was appointed to
i the Central India Horse. He was through the Kabul
I Campaign in 1880, and with Sir F. Slade Roberts, (after-
' wards Lord Roberts) on his famous march to Kandahar.

I He was mentioned in despatches and received a medal.

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clasp, and the bronze star*. He retired as a Major and
died 1904. John Colledge married “Jane Mackenzie,’’
only daughter of William Inglis, Esq., Madras Civil
Service, and had two sons and a daughter. The sixth
and youngest son, Robert Inglis, was an invalid from
his birth, and died in 1862 in his thirteenth year.

The eldest daughter, Carolinsp Georgina, died of
rheumatic fever, at seventeen.

1 (Frances Mary), the youngest one, married in
1870,Capt.Cunliffe Martin (aKerwards Colonel andC.B.)
and have had eight children.

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